I want to build some cold frames but am confused about what type of wood to use.
Treated or untreated wood for garden box.
A cedar frame can last up to 10 years but one made of douglas fir may last only 5 to 7 years.
The wood gets a lovely rustic barn board patina after just one season.
Stephen in huntingdon valley pais the new pressure treated nature wood safe to use as a framing material for a raised bed vegetable garden.
Compared to untreated wood pressure treated lumber lasts longer and is available at a comparable cost.
I also use some pressure treated wood for various garden structures including large raised beds.
But i fear attracting termites with untreated wood.
This type of treated wood was banned years ago for household use.
I am concerned about using pressure treated wood around my veggies because of the arsenic.
Redwood and cedar are more rot resistant and last longer but are also more expensive.
Creosote treated wood is not a good option for vegetable raised beds.
A redwood raised garden bed however can last up to 20 years.
Current treatments such as alkaline copper quaternary acq are deemed low risk by the epa and designated safe for use around humans pets plants and vegetables.
You can isolate pressure treated wood by lining the inside of a bed with heavy plastic to prevent leaching of chemicals from the wood into the soil.
The wood that people worry about leaching chemicals into the soil is cca chromated copper arsenate pressure treated wood or old railway ties.